i did it!!!!!!!!!!

today i did the unthinkable, accomplished the unimaginable, i ran 20 miles straight-through, without breaks, no injuries, pee breaks, or any other reason to stop me from running – i finished at a 10:30 pace, so roughly 3:30, and yes, that’s hours and minutes….

i did the chicago area runners association ready to run organized 20 mile training run. i have to say it was the best thing i have done in my training to date. as i mentioned earlier, with our travels, i had kinda fallen off the strict training schedule, and was horribly overwhelmed and scared of what this 20 miler may bring. but running with a large group was a game changer. to start, they dont time anything, and it’s organized by pace groups. they also had water/gatorade stops about every 2 miles and gatorade makes all the difference for me. some other highlights from the run –

being so overwhelmed by a man’s cologne, that i had to immediately speed up and pass him or risk coughing for 3 hours

seeing someone actually shoot a snot-rocket out of their nose while never breaking a stride

a mile marker sign that says ‘crop-dusting is for farmers. be nice’

seeing my bf right before i went into the last turn cheering me on, and carrying my purse 🙂

either way, it was the confidence booster i need going into the marathon – less than 3 weeks now, and i’m about as prepared as i think i can be for a first timer. i even found new socks that dont give me blisters, and i consider the 20 miler as the ultimate test of that.

impressively, we then turned around (after i showered of course) and headed to rub bbq company for a bbq class that was a bday present for the bf. it was 3 hours in a room of meat smokers, eating brisket, pork, ribs, cornbread and mac n’ cheese. it wasnt a bad way to recover from a long run! other than i kinda need another shower to get the smell of smoke out – oops!

anyways – its about that time to go to sleep to rest and recover before another work week ahead.